SENIOR DEPT
The Woman’s Convention is composed of missionary circles in the local churches. Missionary circles are composed of three departments: Seniors, Young Adult, and Youth. These circles form the nucleus around which the missionary work of the church and the convention revolves. The missionary circle reaches out in its soul-saving and soul-winning and joins hands with missionary circles in other local churches to form county/city unions, auxiliaries, and missionary districts, all of which work together to build and strengthen a great and functioning Woman’s Missionary Baptist Convention of North Carolina. The Woman’s Convention was organized to help strengthen the local church’s missionary work by helping to build better and stronger missionary circles where they do not exist. One of the Woman’s Convention aims is a circle in every Baptist church in North Carolina. The missionary circle does not supplant the local church’s missionary work; rather, its basic purpose is evangelism, both home and foreign. It was organized to assist the local church in her missionary endeavors.
YOUNG ADULT DEPT
In 1964, the Young Adult Department was organized for those ages 21 through 35 to bridge the gap between the already existing seniors and youth. This department of talented and spiritual young adults has made a deep impact on the churches’ activities around the state. In 2015 the Woman’s Convention decided to expand the Young Adult Adult age group to include ages 21 to 40.
Since her inception, the Young Adult Department has been on the move with Missions-in-Action.
The Young Adults Mission is year-round. The list below describes what missions-in-action looks like in the State Young Adult Department and are actions you can also commit to at the local level…
– Reach out to teach and train Young Adults across the state in missions, leadership, and Christian living.
– Visit and share devotional services with residents in nursing homes.
– Collect and deliver supplies to young expectant mothers in need as well as personal items to local Women’s shelters.
– Collect and deliver non-perishable food to shelters and food banks across NC
– Make survival packs of travel-size toiletry items, water, & non-perishable snacks to share with the homeless.
– Provide school supplies, games, books, and personal items to youth in need through the Central Children’s Home and Boys & Girls Clubs across the state.
– Share Exam Week survival kits filled with snacks, words of encouragement, and handwritten prayers to college students at local colleges, especially HBCUs.
Each of our Statewide missionaries initiatives are designed to be implemented in local church Young Adult Departments across our state, and many of them can also be implemented by individuals as well.
Above all, go a tell the good news that Jesus Christ is Lord.
YOUTH DEPT
The growth and development of the youth department of the Woman’s Baptist State Convention have been most interesting. History records that Sister Sallie Mial, a zealous missionary, very early in the work of the convention organized Sunshine Bands and W.I.C. (What I Can) groups for girls. Year after year, these young people grew in numbers and became a necessary part of the Convention. Sister Annette Ransom started the Cradle Roll for babies, and her guide for the carrying on of the Cradle Roll group has helped many to be more thoughtful of the possibilities in a baby’s life and the responsibility of missionary women to them. Other workers listed in the History of the Woman’s Convention added more groups and offered working plans for them. Notably, Sister Beatrice Underwood, Supervisor from 1936-43, launched a program to build a Standard Junior Department. This standard Junior Department caused the work among the Juniors to grow and greater enthusiasm was realized. In 1937, advisors were added to work with the Junior Supervisor and Junior officers in planning for the progress and work for the Junior Department. Miss Lavine McGrier became Junior Supervisor, with Miss Eva Merritt (Pratt) as Junior President, and together they led the department to take greater strides financially. The department assumed full responsibility for the salary of the Junior Missionary in Africa, Miss Minnie C. Lyon. The Junior Department was later changed to the Youth Department and took on new challenges for this age group.